[WESTERN SENTAI] Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers #1 – Doing What Japanese SFX Couldn’t Do On TV!

A Power Rangers Culmination.

To say that Go Go Power Rangers has been a wild ride would be an understatement. This series, having come out a few short months after its sister series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, acted as an excellent origin story/first year for the new heroes of Angel Grove.

Throughout the run, Go Go Power Rangers has done amazingly in deepening the Rangers and supporting cast as characters and their motivations so much so that I do believe that it far outshines the original American show in both storytelling and tone. This final, oversized issue culminates everything that it’s been leading to and runs almost up to the start of the Mighty Morphin series.

Beginning with the epic final confrontation with the traitorous Alpha-1, the Rangers escape from a bubble meant to contain them with the help of Goldar, who only wants to destroy them himself. With Alpha-1 at his most powerful and dangerous, the Rangers summon their Dinozords to make a last stand to protect Zordon, Alpha-1’s true target.

Art That Megazords Out Of The Page

Eleonora Carlini absolutely pulls out all of the stops when it comes to her art in this issue. This fight is nothing but non-stop action and exciting visuals. Complimented by Raul Angulo’s stellar colors, the Dinozords do their best to repel Alpha-1 in gorgeous display of bright lighting effects.

Angles are dynamic with mostly diagonal shots and just far away enough to showcase the action. Movements are swift and attacks are absolutely heavy given the size of the Megazord and Alpha-1. Explosions and the fantastic use of backgrounds makes everything feel so much more intense!

However, Alpha-1 proves too strong, so the Rangers need to combine their power to form their awesome Megazord. This particular page is a highlight as all the Zords dynamically run into the frame and the Megazord has an anime-esque giant silhouette behind it and the image is STRONG!

And This Month’s Monster Of The Month Dies…

The Rangers and Alpha-1 fight, almost evenly matched. For every attack the Rangers make, Alpha-1 counters each before completely overpowering them. He even takes their sword and compromises their structural integrity.

Just when all seems lost, Alpha-5 flies into battle, wearing Billy’s experimental armor, allowing enough of a distraction for the Rangers to enter their badass tank mode and finishing off Alpha-1 in a dynamic display of blue energy fire.

After the brutal fight, Alpha-1 congratulates them on their victory, but after Alpha-5 offers to repair him for Zordon, he self destructs to avoid the life of inept servitude he lived before returning.

Elsewhere, Rita Repulsa punishes Goldar for his actions and threatens to take his life for freeing the Rangers. Coming to his defense, Rita’s mother implores her to show mercy and Rita chooses to rip off his wings instead.

Rita takes a moment to reflect and notes that things didn’t have to be this way and pulls out the Dragon Power coin, saying that only a powerful soul can unlock the energy of the coin and only her mother has the power she needs. In sacrificing her mother for power, she erased any possible hope her mother had in her turning to the light.

This scene and the page shot after, of the coin overflowing with life and Rita cast in heavy shadows, cements her complete turn to the darkness and the dark future that the rangers will soon face.

The End Of A Power Arc

Rita’s short arc in these last few issues has been a heart-wrenching affair and, seeing that it turns out like this makes me weep for what could have been, though one only needs to watch Mystic Force to see that not everything is all shadows and evil.

The rest of the issue is simple falling action and resolution however. Trini and Jason reach an amicable conclusion to their relationship. Kim speaks to her guidance counselor about her parents divorce and ends up solving her own problems with her ex-boyfriend, Matt. The same guy who discovered the Rangers identities in an earlier arc.

Zack tells Zordon of the offer Rita made, I think in one of the Annuals, to give him the Green Power Coin and Zordon thanks him while giving him the concession that he should have trusted the Rangers far more than he did. There’s even a fantastic final few pages that introduce what I believe (and who we all absolutely know) to be an unnamed Tommy Oliver.

This book was an absolute fitting end for the beginning of the Power Rangers as we know them and nicely ties up the arcs and stories of everyone involved to lead us to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. With great art and stellar writing for nearly every issue, this one lives up to and fulfills the promise of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, though the only problem I have with it is that it isn’t much longer, clocking in at a still nice 40 pages. While everything was concluded well enough, there was still more room for things to be wound down a little tighter, but it was a fun ride nonetheless.

You can pick up your copy of this book on Comixology or your local comic book store.

How did we rate Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers: Forever Rangers #1? 5 Sodas
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